The first 12 days were free, culminating in more than 17,000 passengers on Friday. Nearly 135,000 people rode SunRail during its free service time, overwhelming the $1.2 billion system and routinely causing delays of an hour or more.

The crowds thinned out considerably Monday and most of the trains ran on time with plenty of seats, though one broke down late in the afternoon and another ran into a stalled car near the Maitland station. No one was seriously hurt, though the driver was taken to the hospital.

Beyond the accident and breakdown, the biggest problem facing riders was the ticket machines, some of which did not work or were slow.

SunRail officials expect to average 4,300 paid riders during the first year.